In his second letter to Timothy, Paul exhorts Timothy to evangelize,
“As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”
2 Timothy 4:5
Here’s a challenge! Always do something. Anything. Every day of your life. Resolve to always rise at 6.30am. Decide to always drink three glasses of water a day. Choose to always exercise for 30 minutes every day. Even mentioning the thought makes something inside of us squirm and think “I’ll never be able to do that. What’s the point of even trying, if I’m sure I’m going to miss a day somewhere…”
Just what is Paul getting at here as he exhorts his young disciple Timothy? Surely he knows that it’s nearly impossible for us human beings to always do something. Perhaps it is very hard, but our message for today is not simply to “do” more stuff – Paul asks Timothy – and the Lord asks us, to be something, or to be someone.
If you want to improve your health and lose weight, resolve to be someone who always drinks 3 glasses of water a day. If you want to be a successful athlete, start by choosing to train for 30 minutes every day.
As Christians, we are called to bear the image of Christ. We are called into a radical act of “being” someone to other people every day. To properly do the work of an evangelist – we must live a life that is so infectious, so joyful, so sober, so patient in tribulation and so marked with the fragrance of Christ that we end up being a message to those around us all day, every day. A 24-7 disciple.
This reflection is excerpted from Pray by Day, a free App published by Kairos North America.
Pray by Day is a tool to help Christians start, sustain, and strengthen their personal prayer lives. You can use this app at home or hands-free while you commute. It includes songs for worship and an intercession list, which you can customize, as well as over 130 meditations – and we keep adding more regularly! Download it now for free on iOS or Android.
Top image credit: photo of a student Bible study group, © Lightstock.com. Used with permission.
Tadhg Lynch is a member of the Servants of the Word, a missionary brotherhood of men living single for the Lord, and a Mission Director for Kairos in Europe and the Middle-East, an international outreach to young people. Tadhg is originally from Nazareth Community, Dublin, Ireland.